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April 30, 2012

According to New York Road Runners, overall applications for the ING New York City Marathon grew from 102,500 in 2009 to 140,000 in 2011, in order to be one of the 47,000 official runners. The field is expected to be the same again this year due in part to concerns about the safety and overall enjoyment of the runners.

The deadline to apply for the November 4, 2012 race (either for guaranteed runners or for those hoping to gain entry by the lottery process) has passed. But all hope is not lost! If you hurry, you can still gain entry into the 2012 race by joining and raising money for one of these participating charities, including Fred's Team and Team for Kids.

April 26, 2012

“Women in Botswana don’t like sports, they like modeling. They don’t like the look of muscles.” (Amantle Montsho)

“Women in Botswana are too scared to run. You have to go through pain to get where Amantle is. They hear of this pain and they stop.” (Pako Seribe)

I was fortunate to visit Botswana on a photo safari many years ago when Amantle Montsho was a little girl and probably just beginning to realize a love of running.

You can read an inspiring article from the New York Times about her, now one of the fastest women in the world. She is the reigning world champion in the 400 meters, and a favorite to win gold at the Summer Games in London, despite growing up in poverty in Botswana.

Alas, my bid fell significantly short of the winning bid at the recent Christie's auction. I figured $250,000 would be enough to bring that trophy back to my trophy case, but the actual bidding went up to $860,000 to set a record for Olympic memorabilia.

Thanks to my mother and Aunt Gertrude all of you out there for your donations to my cause which raised the grand sum of $2 a considerable amount for which I am really pissed eternally grateful!

April 19, 2012

With the 116th running of Boston Marathon now in the past, it’s time to offer some words of caution to those who have been training intensely to run 26.2 miles. I touched on the subject in my book, where I referred to an article from the Wall Street Journal entitled, “The Fleeting Benefits of Marathons.” The article cites studies that have shown hard-to-sustain regimens, like those needed to train for and compete in a marathon, can reduce a runner’s will to continue a lifelong exercise program.

According to the article, fitness and dietary experts view marathons as “the exercise equivalent of crash diets, with similarly disappointing results.” Fortunately, some marathon finishers featured in the article remained steady runners long after that first marathon. They achieved their marathon goal then went back to a running program with moderate distances, shorter races, more rest, and less vulnerability to injury. They continue to receive the satisfaction and health benefits of a regular running program by happily running, say, five miles five times a week, rather than waking up each day to another 40, 50, or 60-mile training week.

Jerry Lynch and Warren Scott in their book, Running Within, discuss overtraining, burnout, and lack of variety in a running program, and how each can affect the pure enjoyment we get by going out for a run. "It knocks you off balance, forces you to lose perspective with your running, and destroys your appreciation for its essence.” Like many others, they stress the importance of keeping things in balance. “The perfect treatment is to fortify yourself with moderation and inoculate your consciousness with a dose of ‘less is more’. By doing so, you enhance your overall training and attain not only the psychological advantages of moderation, but also the numerous physiological benefits by giving your body the chance to recuperate and become even stronger.”

Running a marathon will probably be one of your life’s crowning achievements. But the true marathon is embracing an exercise program that can survive for decades after that first 26.2-mile race.

April 16, 2012

Congratulations to Wesley Korir of Kenya (2:12:40) and Sharon Cherop, also of Kenya (2:31:50), as the male and female winners of today's 116th running of the Boston Marathon. And special recognition to 4th place finisher, and the first American, 6' 3" (and 160 pounds) Jason Hartmann!

And for those seeking to run in next year's Boston Marathon, see this previous post for the faster times needed to qualify for the 2013 race.

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Not your father's running book -- While you're contemplating your first or another Boston Marathon, feel free to check out my book (Long May You Run) which U.S. Olympic Marathoner Brian Sell says is “A great source of motivation that can help in your quest for your next marathon, or just get you out the door on your way to another memorable run.”

April 14, 2012

LIVE TELEVISION coverage of the 116th Boston Marathon begins at 9:30 a.m. ET on Universal Sports. This channel finder will help you find the appropriate channel in your area. Residents in the Boston area can watch live coverage on the WBZ (CBS) beginning at 9:00 a.m.

LIVE STREAMING can be accessed for free at several websites, including:

April 11, 2012

For many of us, Boston and its Marathon are all about the history, the hills, and the story of Paul Revere’s midnight ride warning us that “The Kenyans are coming! The Kenyans are coming!” (or something like that).

But today in that historic town known as the cradle of liberty (or is that Philadelphia, I can never keep them straight) something ominous is brewing. Like those original patriots who were outraged by the high British tax on tea, runners today are outraged by the $150 entry fee for this year’s race. That’s $5.72 per mile if you're keeping track at home, a tidy sum to pay for the “privilege” of running 26.2 miles -- even in good economic times. After all, that $150 can buy 15 tickets to The Hunger Games, two decent pairs of running shoes, or about a third of an iPad 3 (if you want the 16GB Wi-Fi only version).

What’s a runner to do? Plenty!

No, I’m not advocating selling naming rights to bring the costs down like they did at the New York City Marathon . . . excuse me . . . the ING New York City Marathon. Heck, those runners will still have to pony up a whopping $9.73 per mile next fall! Plus, between you, me, and the guy puking at mile twenty, it wouldn’t be all that patriotic to run in the Trump Boston Marathon or the Playtex Contour Anti-Chafing Running Bra Boston Marathon, now would it? You’re shaking your head.

But speaking of patriotic, we need to do something with passion that will be remembered for generations to come. Something big like that “shot heard ‘round the world” thing at nearby Bunker Hill, except without the “shot” part, of course. Something like the passionate protest by those patriot forefathers who tossed crates of Earl Grey, Oolong, and Chai tea into the harbor.

See where I’m going with all this? Good, now listen up.

On the morning of Monday’s Boston Marathon, before the busses come to take us to the starting line (or to the line at the Porta-Potties, whichever comes first), we’ll gather at the site of the original Boston Tea party for a little demonstration. What? The official site of the original Boston Tea Party is now a landfill and not at the harbor? No worries. At the appointed time look to the tower of the Old North Church where I’ll be waiting with a couple of my pre-race bottles of Gatorade. Get it? One if by landfill, two if by sea. Sounds like a plan.

Anyway, once we’re all gathered at the correct location, on the count of “three” we’ll throw not tea but T-shirts into that damn harbor (or landfill) as our way of protesting the Boston Marathon’s high entry fees. Look, you and I know those “free” T-shirts we get at the runner’s expo eventually end up as dust rags, so let’s finally put them to good use! Who’s with me?

Then the networks and the tweeters and the Facebookers and the YouTubers will take over and broadcast our little Boston “T” Party just like they did at the 1968 Democratic National Convention when “the whole world was watching.” And then the high and mighty Boston Athletic Association will be brought to its knees and pressured to finally lower its entry fees. Sigh.

And if all this works out like I think it will, future high school history e-books will recall that grand event, and poems will be written to commemorate the famous cry born out of freedom and democracy and social networking that sounded loud and clear throughout the town on Patriot’s Day 2012:

April 09, 2012

I pass a willful stranger;My mistress still the open road. (Robert Louis Stevenson)

Years ago on vacation in Scotland, I entered the Great Scottish Run, a 25K through the streets of Glasgow. Since I wasn’t aware of the race until the day I arrived, I was one of the last entries, and therefore received one of the highest race numbers. It was only after I read the instructions that I learned all participants had to line up in order by number, which meant I would be behind several thousand runners at the starting line.

Not wanting to be perceived as just another rude American tourist, I went by the rules and dutifully lined up waaay in the back, then spent most of the fifteen and a half miles passing those in front of me.

Recently I competed in another race where I passed many runners (after starting mid-pack), and realized this strategy may be a good one for charity races: get a pledge (a dime, a quarter, etc.) for every runner one passes in the race. The easiest way to keep track is to start dead last and subtract your finishing place from the total number of finishers.

I don’t know if there are any such charity races out there now . . . but I guess it’s never too late to start!

April 04, 2012

According to Running USA, 45% of all race finishers in 2010 were age 40 or over. Here's hoping all of us keep enjoying the passion we have for running as long as we can. And even if you (or someone you know) are not yet a serious runner, it's never too late to start, because maybe there's been a distance runner hiding inside all along.

Take Kathy Martin, for example. An inspiring article in the New York Times tells the story of this woman who discovered her gift of distance running in her late 40's; she is now breaking American and World records after turning 60.

Kathy competes in distances from the 800 meters to the 50K, and in a recent 50K (that's 31 miles to you and me) she beat the old record by nearly an hour. So far she has set nine American and two World records.

What's the takeaway from all this? 1) It's never too late to start running or competing, and 2) You don't stop running because you get old; you get old because you stop running!

And for advice on runnning when your're in the prime of your life, go here for some tips from a 74 year-old.